


The Deputy "Chair"man

by yankeetooter



Category: Chernobyl (TV 2019)
Genre: Affection, Chairs, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:55:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24966325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yankeetooter/pseuds/yankeetooter
Summary: Valery gets stuck in a silly situation, thanks to Boris' temper.
Relationships: Valery Legasov/Boris Shcherbina
Comments: 7
Kudos: 26





	The Deputy "Chair"man

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes on a hot lazy afternoon, one just needs some humor and fluff.

Boris slammed the phone down and stood with fists clenched.

 _Uh-oh! Here it comes!_ Valery winced at the storm he knew was coming. Oh, he knew Boris would never hurt him; Boris could tear through their work trailer like a tornado and not so much as a hair of Valery's head would be ruffled. Still, the scientist waited to speak. He had learned that it was better to let Boris rage and then talk on his own terms.

Boris stalked the trailer like a tiger looking for something to pounce on. The toe of his boot caught in Valery's chair. (Valery had been standing by the wall map when the phone had rung and started all of this.) Snarling at the offending piece of furniture, Boris grabbed it up and swung it through the air. The chair made a satisfying bang as it hit the opposite wall, and fell to the ground with a crash. 

Valery winced, but still said nothing as Boris calmed down somewhat. He watched as Boris' breathing slowed and his fists unclenched.

"The trucks...bringing the miners. There's been a problem. They've been delayed and instead of the miners arriving tonight, they won't be here until tomorrow morning." Boris looked over at Valery's chair by the wall. "I guess I better order another chair," he said resignedly, as he sank back into his own chair.

Anxious to placate Boris, as well as take still yet one more task off his plate, Valery approached Boris where he sat. "It doesn't look too bad. I'm sure I can get by. Just take a moment and breathe, Borya."

Boris raised a skeptical eyebrow at that. "Breathe, Valery? When we need to get started on the project before the meltdown begins? We only have so much time. You know that."

Valery had reached Boris' side now. In an uncharacteristically bold action, he reached out and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, then began kneading at the tense muscles there.

Boris' eyebrows shot up, but he didn't move, not wanting to scare Valery off. Although Valery was comfortable in the bedroom, even bold sometimes, it was rare that he reached out affectionately when they weren't back at the hotel. Even the typical Soviet hug or kiss on the cheek seemed to be beyond Valery's capacity to give. Boris had always wondered about that, but suspected it might be because Valery had never received much of that sort of attention. So this was a lovely surprise!

Boris loved Valery's hands. The man might be soft and plump, and a bit on the clumsy side, but his hands? Oh no, they were nimble and deft. Whenever Boris spotted Valery twirling a cigarette, or running his fingers along one of the many maps, he sat entranced, imagining those hands on his body. Needless to say, this was pure ecstasy!

Valery continued his ministrations, moving down Boris' spine slowly and working out all the kinks. "Boris, I know. I'm anxious to get this project started too. But it's what? Twelve hours? We'll be okay! Please don't get yourself so stressed about it."

Valery would have continued, but Tarakanov suddenly walked in. Immediately, Valery's hands were at his sides, and he looked innocently over Boris' shoulder at some papers on the desk, just as if they had been discussing some detail or other.

Tarakanov nodded to the both of them. "Is everything alright? I thought I heard a loud crash." Tarakanov's gaze caught the sight of the chair on the floor; walking over, he noted the large dent in the wall. He smiled a bit to himself. Boris, of course! Picking it up, he brought it over to the desk and sat it upright.

As both Boris and Tarakanov looked on skeptically, Valery sat in the chair gingerly. "See? It's fine!" he said to Boris. He hid a grimace as an errant splinter found it's way into his bum. He couldn't let on, though, or Boris would be on the phone ordering 5,000 more chairs. His ears perked up as Tarakanov brought up the news about the miners.

"I know it sets us back a bit, Boris, but most of the other equipment wasn't going to be here before tomorrow morning anyway. It'll be fine!"

Valery nodded, glad that Tarakanov was agreeing with him.

Boris glanced suspiciously at Valery, but of course they couldn't have collaborated because Valery had been in the trailer the whole time. Sighing, he gave in. "Nikolai, I understand. I just hate sitting around with nothing to do because of someone else's screw-up. And I'm tired! So tired of the delays, of the faulty equipment, of the thousand things that seem to go wrong everyday. You'd think, having worked in construction, I'd be used to it by now, but it still upsets me!"

Tarakanov nodded at his friend. Boris, and Valery too, looked worn out. Neither of them would go to Moscow for a brief rest, and he suspected neither of them slept well at night either. Certainly, Boris was up and about early every morning, although Valery was usually another hour or so before he appeared, hair still awry.

"Look, Boris, you look exhausted. And, Valery, you too. Since there's not much else to be done before the evening reports are in, why don't you two go back to the hotel and try to get some rest?" He raised a hand to forestall the protest that had started from Boris' lips. "Now, seriously, you two look like you're about to collapse! And I don't know what we'd do then. Just a few hours, that's all I'm suggesting."

Boris agreed reluctantly. Tarakanov was right, he was exhausted! And that would mean he could insist on Valery getting some rest too.

Valery was only half listening, though. While Tarakanov and Boris had been talking, a very curious problem had been developing. The chair had been weakened by its flight and ensuing crash, and gradually the seat of it had been giving way under Valery's ample arse. Then a sudden snap, barely heard over the soldiers outside, and Valery's rump was stuck in the frame of the chair, two pieces of wood having pinched into his bottom. He'd have to try and get loose without Boris noticing once Tarakanov left.

Having procured Boris' promise to rest, Tarakanov pointed at Valery and said, "Him too." as he walked out the door.

"Oh, don't worry! He'll go take a rest if I have to sling him over my shoulder!" Boris proclaimed, Tarakanov chucking in response at the picture that brought to mind as he waved his goodbye.

_What? A rest? But I'm stuck! And I don't want Boris to find out!_

Already Boris was tidying his desk in anticipation of a nap. He really was done in. He turned to Valery expectantly, who still sat in his chair.

"Yes, er...I'm coming Boris. I'll just catch up with you. There's one or two things that I need to..."

Boris waggled his finger at Valery. "Oh no, you don't! A few things will turn into a mound of papers, and you'll miss dinner, let alone an actual opportunity to rest. Now, I'm not leaving until you do, and I'm not going to wait much longer!"

_Oh no! What am I going to do?_

Valery tried to subtly wriggle himself free, but the chair had his bottom pinned and he couldn't get loose. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Boris approaching. It was no good!

"Valery!" Boris sighed. "What is taking you so long? Get up, and let's go!" But Valery could only give him a chagrined look. 

"Oh, good grief, Valery, that's it!" Going behind Valery, Boris put his hands under the scientist's arms and lifted him up. Except Valery could only rise to a somewhat bent position, the chair still attached to his bottom.

Boris began laughing, great roars of laughter that had him leaning against the wall to hold himself up. Every time he tried to ask Valery what had happened, he would start laughing again.

Valery pouted back at him, rather taken aback at the sight of Boris laughing, almost to the point of tears. He had never seen Boris laugh that hard before!

"It's not funny, Boris! It's this chair! I...I thought it was okay, but then it broke and now I can't get out!" Valery felt a small smile tugging at his mouth. Boris' laughter was contagious, and he probably would have laughed too if he hadn't felt so ridiculous.

Finally, Boris' laughter eased up and he approached to examine the problem. He began trying to pry the pieces of wood away, but it was hard to get any leverage with Valery wiggling around. And every time he told Valery to try and pull away from the chair, he would start laughing again and Valery would get upset. Finally he had an idea. Once again prying the wood away from the frame, he suddenly goosed Valery, who with a shout jumped, extricating himself in the process.

"Very funny, Boris! I...hey, I'm free!" Valery danced around happily, almost tripping over his own feet.

Boris quickly grabbed Valery's arm before he could further harm himself, and firmly pulled him toward the trailer door. "The sooner you get some sleep, the better!"

\----------------------------

Back at the hotel, they both stripped down to their vests and shorts, Boris locking the door to be safe. All he would need would be for Tarakanov to come looking for them with more news, and, although they would be sleeping as opposed to anything else, it might look a bit strange with both of them in the same bed.

Boris saw Valery make a face as he sat on the bed. "What is it, Valery?"

"I think I might have a splinter, er...back there." Valery hated to admit, but he knew it needed to come out and he could hardly do it. At Boris' gesture, he walked over to his friend's side of the bed. 

Boris nonchalantly, pulled down Valery's shorts, enjoying the sight of all that plumpness. Sure enough, there were three splinters, but they were easily pulled out, and Valery shyly thanked Boris for his first aid.

"I'll happily pull down your shorts any day, Valera!" he teased him, causing Valery to blush. "Now...to bed. And how about some more of what you were doing earlier before Tarakanov walked in?"

Valery laid in bed beside Boris, who turned his back towards Valery and allowed the man's fingers to go back to work on his spine. Valery felt himself relaxing as Boris' muscles went slack, and within minutes, the two of them were snoring, Valery's arm draped around Boris' waist.


End file.
